Our Once Precious Silence
by ChoNeun
Summary: Peace of mind was a dream, and it was always so elusive. Now it seemed to be right within one's grasp, but what would take that way again? after Dirge of Cerberus
1. Wayward Dreamers

**Wayward Dreamer**

Everywhere around him, there was a blinding white light. His mind's eye seemed to be working sharply like a camera, changing angles here and there to navigate. In one perspective, someone was barely caught passing by this "camera" angle. Flowing silver hair was caught in a graceful arc behind the leather clad form. The dreamer made a slight noise, but his breath caught in his throat from shock.

The angle changed, and this familiar mystery person was caught with only the left side of his body exposed. Sadly, the "camera" only caught from his nose to his hips.

"_It wasn't…"_ The dreamer debated as his vision started to become engulfed in white.

"…_was it?"_

Cloud woke up with his covers pushed down to his waist. His right hand was placed on his stomach. His left arm was stretched out by his side. His eyes were barely opened, but through his lashes, he could see the ceiling clearly. From the lighting of his room, he could see that it was just before dawn. The sun was emerging; his blackened room was being wiped to a brighter shade by hands of light. He stared aimlessly at the ceiling for a long time. By the time he actually sat up, it was dawn. He couldn't say what time he fell asleep, but he knew that he didn't get anywhere near the full four hours of sleep that he was used to getting recently. However, he felt just as rested as though he had indeed had reached his usual level of sleep deprivation.

He shuffled out of his room and went downstairs to the tavern, which was quiet and still in the way too early morning. Tifa would be down soon, he knew, but he just wanted to steal some time to himself if possible. Absently, he walked over to one of the booths and sat down. His left hand loosely embraced his right half fist. His blue eyes regarded the surrounding stillness with admiration. In his mind, he couldn't bring forth no thoughts about the stillness.

Just as it was, he was just there.

After looking around, he tapped his foot once and looked to his left toward the staircase he had earlier descended before looking over to his far right where the windows were. Without really knowing why or even noticing, the left corner of his mouth twitched up with the want of a smile but went no further. He stared out at the streets of Edge, hands still clasped together, and soon, he found that thought was making its way to the front of his mind.

_That was definitely him, but what could he possibly want with me? I really hope that he's not coming back for another round…_ At this point, his right hand moved of its own accord up to his chest just above where his heart was. Cloud continued to stare absently out the window. _I don't think that I can take much more of that right now, especially after helping Vincent take down Deepground… _This time another smile-want tugged at the left corner of his lips, and it was of a bitterness that he again may not have noticed. _…I don't think I have much energy for anything._

There was the sound of shuffling, and Cloud blinked as though he was coming out of a trance. His right hand moved to the table in front of him curled back into a half fist, but it rested even with his left arm's wrist instead of nestled safely inside of the nook of the left hand. Moving his eyes to his left first, Cloud turned his head back towards the stairs. He blinked again; this time, his mouth parted just slightly.

"Denzel? What are you doing up so late, I mean early? Shouldn't you be asleep?"

Denzel shook his head, a smile set on his face. "No. I have things to do way out in Kalm."

Cloud thought about what the boy just said and wondered if the young one heard it himself.

"In…Kalm?" Cloud repeated when he realized that the other was not going to correct himself.

"Mhm. Mr. Valentine, er, Vincent said I could come over. I don't know how I got so lucky." Denzel jumped down from his position on the third step and landed on the ground with a slight groan.

He paused and remembered that the girls of the house could very well still be sleeping. He looked over his shoulder towards the top of the stairs and waited for a few seconds. When he turned nothing, he looked at Cloud and gave a cheesy yet sheepish smile, realizing that he shouldn't have done that to start off with. It was at that moment that Cloud realized Denzel had a duffle bag slung over his shoulder.

"Hey. What's in that—" Cloud stood up slightly, looking curiously at Denzel.

"Okay, later, Cloud!" Denzel said emphatically, cutting him off as he ran happily towards the door.

Cloud stood up a bit straighter and watched Denzel open and close the door. Blue eyes watched Denzel walk a bit to the right of the door, stand in front of the window and look around a bit before running in the opposite direction towards the entrance of town.

He pondered sitting down as half-standing the way he was was already starting to become uncomfortable, but he scooted sideways out of the booth and crossed the room to the bar. He leaned over and looked at the wall in front of him.

_Tifa has her own nice little set up here. Can't be focused on your own thoughts if you're serving up beers and listening to someone else tell theirs._ For some reason, that amused him a bit. The idea of Tifa listening to some out-of-work mako manufacturer whine about his time working under ShinRa while she tuned him out with some internal musical... It made him want to laugh. He didn't outright laugh, but he chuckled nonetheless. He wandered around the bar slowly and aimlessly in his white tank top and dark grey sleeping pants. His bare feet padded along the floor as he thought his random thoughts about bits and pieces of the Tavern. Eventually, he walked upstairs, idly scratching his lower back.

He made it into his room just in time to hear his phone vibrate. He stopped in front of his dresser and did a three-quarter turn in the direction of the noise. At first, he wasn't sure what it was he heard, but as the second and third vibration sounded, he became more assured that it was his phone going off. He walked toward his bed before glancing over his shoulder to the analog clock. It was 7:45 in the morning. He had wasted close to two hours downstairs. He noted this to himself only as he made his way toward his bed. He bent down closer so he could hear just where the phone would be. After fishing in his bunched up sheets for a little, the blond pulled his phone out and flipped it open. He stared at the screen to make sure that there was in fact a call.

"Cloud," he answered lazily.

A chuckle greeted him from the other side. "I thought you would never pick up."

Cloud's eyes widened a little bit, and he wasn't sure what he was hearing. The voice sounded more familiar than most. He shook his head a little bit, not understanding or really…

…not wanting to believe…

"Who is—"

"Just who do you think it is? Cloud?" The husky and confident voice confirmed more of his fears. However, just as quickly as the disbelief and fear had come, anger and confusion set in just as quickly. "Just what do you want, Rufus?"

"Oh, I was just in the neighborhood…"

"You're never _'just'_ anywhere, Rufus. Tell me what you want."

"Tsk, tsk. Cloud, so callous."

"Isn't it a bit impersonal of you to call, especially so early in the morning?" Cloud began his idle walk around his room.

"I just wanted to see how you were," Rufus' voice replied calmly.

At that moment, Tifa had made her way down the hall. She had heard Cloud's voice and wanted to make sure he was okay. In the event he saw her, she would just pretend she were going downstairs to the bar.

"I'm hanging up," Cloud said petulantly.

Rufus chuckled. "I'm sorry. How rude of me. Let me get to the point."

Cloud stopped walking and was now standing at the foot of his bed right in front of the dresser. His head was tipped upward and slightly backwards. He looked thoughtfully towards the corner of the ceiling. Tifa watched as quietly as she could wondering who he was talking to and what he could possibly be talking about.

"Cloud, I realize that I've done a great injustice to you and your friends, moreso than probably anybody has done to just a single person. I've decided that I want…to make amends."

"Make amends how and it isn't just me that you've done 'a great injustice' to, Rufus. It was us and the World. Everyone in Gaia either fears or hates your name. What could you possibly do now?"

Rufus' response didn't come quickly, but it came hard: "I want to make _him_ go away."

Cloud's breath caught in his throat, and he actually bunched up his eyebrows. There was a strain that was being put on his mind. He understood just _who_ it was Rufus meant, but he didn't understand exactly _what_ he meant. Was that even possible?

_Make 'him' go away. You couldn't possibly do that, Shinra. I know you couldn't,_ he thought to himself. Aloud, he settled with: "You're kidding."

"No, no. Trust me. I'm not kidding you."

"Trusting you isn't exactly an easy thing, Shinra," Cloud said lowly, turning his back on his door and walking forward slowly towards his window. "Just what kind of joke is this?"

"No joke. No games. In fact, I want you to come to the Healin Lodge just to show you my good will. Say around ten o'clock."

Cloud stopped walking and looked over his shoulder towards his clock again. Tifa, thinking he had suspected something, shrank back and hid out of his sight. The blond saw the time was five past eight. He looked away and faced forward again. He remained silent for a few seconds longer.

"Make it eleven, and I'll be there," he said finally, his tone heavy with obligation.

"Done. I'll be seeing you."

Cloud pulled away the phone and ended the conversation. He turned towards his right as he tossed the mobile onto his bed. As he thought about what he did, he walked over towards his window and leaned against the left side, staring down at the streets. It was still so quiet out there. What were people dreaming right now? He could only hope peaceful thoughts.

"Cloud..?" came a soft voice.

He turned around and looked at the brunette standing in his doorway. "Tifa."

"I heard," she paused, "part of your conversation. Where are you going?"

"Nowhere just yet," he responded, avoiding the topic.

He turned away from her, going back to view out the window.

"Then _where_ at _eleven_?" Tifa asked more sternly, noting his vague answer.

Cloud was quiet for a long time.

"Cl—"

"I'm going to see Rufus."

"Why?"

"I don't know." His head only moved, and he peered at her from over his right shoulder.

Tifa stared at him, a worried expression overtaking her features. Cloud turned to face her one more. He walked over towards her.

"Tifa, I—"

"Just don't get hurt." She looked away from him as though he had said something hurtful.

The blond looked down at her and then nodded, shifting backwards a little. "OK. I'll be careful."

"I'm serious this time." Tifa turned her worried look back on him. "If I have to come out there and save your ass, then it's only because you don't know how to listen. That's your problem, Cloud. You don't listen."

"Tifa. I heard you." The weariness of his early day was showing in his voice.

"No. I mean you don't _listen_. It's more than just words, Cloud. What lies underneath those words?" She placed her left fist over her bosom and took one step forward. "What does that person _really mean?_" She moved her head to emphasis her words, taking more and more steps towards Cloud.

The blond didn't move. Tifa sighed and dropped her fist. She raised her right hand instead.

"Use this a bit more," she said jabbing Cloud in the temple with each word, "and stop listening to your own thoughts."

She turned around and walked out of the door. Cloud watched her leave, his head tipped a bit towards the right. His expression was empty, but he reviewed over what she just said.

_Stop using…my own thoughts… Hn._

He closed his eyes and walked towards his door, placing a hand on the surface.

_I'm only afraid of the tho__ughts I will hear if they're not my own._

With that, he closed the door quietly, so he could get some sleep.

The time was eight thirty.


	2. Delegation

**Delegation**

"Reeve. I need a favor."

"Hm, and just what would that be?"

Reeve Tuesti turned around to lock gazes with the mysterious Vincent Valentine, who sat calmly perched atop a jutting rock formation. Long black hair fell over the red head wrap and shadowed Vincent's eyes. He shifted his head a little bit, looking off to his right and away from Reeve.

"I need transportation for myself and…a friend."

"'A friend', you say. Who would this friend be?"

"Someone you may have already met." Vincent looked back to Reeve with just his eyes, still facing away from him. "In any case, my form of transportation is nowhere near as safe for him as what you have."

"You mean your lack of transportation," Reeve pushed jokingly.

Vincent scoffed, closing his eyes and tipped his head downward. His right arm rested on his right knee.

"That's just my point exactly." Vincent lowered his leg and placed his right palm onto his thigh instead. "So will you take me up on this favor?"

Reeve made a thoughtful noise. "I suppose you're good for it." He waved his arm towards the oversized transport vehicle. "Come along now. We don't want you to be late."

Reeve continued towards the transport knowing that Vincent would be behind him without any further coercion. Because he knew this, he continued talking,

"Where are we meeting this 'friend' of yours?" A smile was on his face.

"On our way towards Edge. He should be walking."

Both of the men entered the back of the vehicle, grabbing a door and pulling it closed. Reeve banged the side of his fist against the metal ceiling, and the truck began to rev up Soon, they were on their way.

"So he'll be in the canyon? In this heat? It's been especially hot there, I've heard." Reeve added, sitting down on the bench across from Vincent. His arms were crossed over his chest, and he placed the left ankle of his leg atop his right knee.

"He's a strong kid. He'll be fine."

"Ah, I se—wait. Did you say 'kid'?"

"Hmn?" Vincent looked up to Reeve and then scoffed, tipping his head back down towards the left. "I guess I did."

"Wait! It's not who I think it is, is it?"

"Can't really say for sure—I'm not much of a mind reader," Vincent replied calmly.

"But! Augh…"

Reeve placed his leg down and reached out to Vincent, but the other male didn't move. He sighed and dropped his head forward, his hand falling down limply.

_It's pointless, Tuesti. He's gone now,_ Reeve thought to himself. _He's gone into that place deep inside of his mind, lost in his own thoughts. It's pointless to get more out of him._ He sat back up slowly and returned to his former position. He raised an eyebrow and eyed Vincent curiously.

_Still… He couldn't mean _Denzel._ Cloud's boy? No. I'm sure he has more sense than that, sending that poor boy to walk in the Canyon all by himself._ He sighed, shaking his head.

_Vincent…_ He relaxed his features and stared at the male in question with a touch of worry. _What are you doing..?_

Denzel wiped sweat off his forehead with the back of his hand. He adjusted the duffle bag, which now rested over his left shoulder. He stopped and slung it over his shoulder in front of him. He bent down and rummaged through it for his water bottle. As he rummaged, he pulled out his right hand and looked at the watch on his wrist.

It was eight-thirty. Vincent wouldn't be late, now would he?

He placed his hand back inside the darkness and came back with the water bottle. He let out an accomplished noise as he stood up, pulling the rope to close the duffle bag. Bringing the bag back over his shoulder, the chocolate haired boy opened the lid and tipped his head back, drinking down the cool refreshment. He pulled it away from his lips with a breath of relief.

"Now that's the stuff," he said, admiring the bottle. "Huh? Hey, what the?" He squinted his eyes and leaned forward, pulling the bottle closer to him as he did. "'ShinRa Incorporated Water?' Aww, man." He poised his hand back to throw the bottle, but he stopped. He put the bottle in front of his face again and shrugged. "Hey. It's good water."

With that, he continued on with his path, staring at the rock columns that opened the path miles in front of him. Denzel looked around, never having been here on his own or really ever before. He nodded in appreciation. Nature was a wonderful thing.

_This is where Cloud said those guys were chasing him a long time ago._ Denzel looked around the large open space and turned his whole body around.

He bit his lip as he came full circle. The sun was beating down on him, and he took another drink. This time, he stopped so he could place the lid of the bottle that was in his left hand into his pocket. The duffle bag fell unexpectedly and pulled his weight down further. His cheeks puffed as he tried not to spill the water from his mouth; his hand clenched so he kept a firm grip on the bottle. Once he still, he swallowed and continued walking, dragging the durable bag behind him for a while.

_Those guys… I think I knew who he meant…_

In his mind's eye, he saw the glowing trees of the Silent Forest and a parade of children in front of him. All of them were lead by three tall men; one of them more enthused than the others as his arms were raised high above his head, and his hands were moving as though he were conducting an orchestra. He saw that they were slowly fading out of his vision as his mental gaze ascended higher and higher past the trees and focused on the pitch black of the sky. After a few seconds, his mental gaze descended downward, and he saw the shortest of the three men was seemingly walking towards him and the other children in the water. On the other side, he saw a girl. He saw…

He bit his lip and squinted his eyes; his head tilted to the down to the left as he stared intensely at his feet. Who was it that he saw? He wants to say that it was Marlene. She even said she was there, but he can't see her clearly. Even when they were back at the bar again, he tried to think of what happened, but it never went past that. Whenever he tried to think more on what happened or who was there, he couldn't place names or faces except his own and even that was a stretch.

Denzel sighed, closed his eyes for a moment and shrugged. He placed the bottle to his lips and took a drink.

_Doesn't matter now anyway. What only matters is—_

His thoughts were cut short as he heard the sound of a car horn. He opened his eyes and stopped walking, seeing that a large van was coming his way. He waved his bottle and jumped up and down, signaling to the driver that was him.

"Sir, we've reached him," said the driver of the WRO vehicle.

Reeve turned around on the bench and pressed a button on the overcrowded module behind him. "Thank you. Let's get him in." He released the button and turned around again. "Vincent, I—hmn?"

Vincent Valentine had stood up and walked to the doors, grabbing both of them and pushing them open. He stepped back towards his left and looked outside. Denzel came running around the left door and clambered inside. He looked to Reeve with a huge smile as he walked forward. His smile faded, and he whipped his head over to his right, seeing Vincent walk behind him to close the doors again.

"Oh! There you are!" Denzel shouted happily.

He walked over to the bench where Vincent had sat and placed his duffle bag on the floor. Vincent paused and sat down beside him, crossing his arms and placing his ankle on his left knee. Reeve looked to the two of them and then down to Denzel's duffle bag.

"So, what exactly are you doing here?" he asked politely.

"Going to Vincent's for a slumber party," Denzel said with a cheesy grin.

Reeve looked over to Vincent fast, maybe too fast.

"He's joking," Vincent replied simply, moving his leg to the ground.

"Oh. Okay," Reeve said, his tone overcome with extreme relief.

Vincent raised a brow at Reeve's tone; Denzel looked up to Vincent, ignoring it.

"So when are we going to get started?" he asked with much enthusiasm.

"Well, we have to go back to Kalm, so we can get what you need."

"Do you know anyone there that can help us?"

Vincent nodded minutely and looked away. "Maybe."

"Are you sure?" Denzel leaned forward but moved closer towards Vincent to see his face. "Because we can always call Bar—"

"Hey, wait!"

Both Vincent and Denzel looked over to Reeve at his outburst.

"Just exactly what are the two of you talking about?"

The two across from him continued to look at him and then looked to each other. Denzel gave Vincent a soft smile before turning it on Reeve. The older man blinked and sat up straight once more, relaxing. He suddenly felt engaged by this smile from the young boy. He rested his hands in his lap. Denzel leaned forward and clasped his hands together, smiling knowingly yet gently.

"We're going to find the key," he said.

"The…key…"

"It's not a tangible thing yet, but I have this theory… If our eyes are the windows to the soul and our dreams are the doorway, then where is the key that locks them away?"

Reeve slumped a little bit, feeling a sensation roll over him. Astonishment – maybe that was it. This boy was only eleven, and he was thinking so deeply about intangible things. It was poetry, the way he described it. Reeve himself, being an older fellow, had never thought deeply about things outside of protecting the lives of himself and the people around him, so to hear this, especially from someone so young, was…

"Refreshing. What a refreshing idea you have, Denzel." He chuckled.

Denzel beamed with pride. "I was inspired."

"Inspired? But by who?"

Denzel laughed his childish laugh and looked up to Vincent, who was looking down at him. He looked back up to Reeve.

"It's a secret," Vincent concluded. Denzel nodded, his eyes shut closed with happiness.

Reeve looked between the two of them and gave a small smile. "Hmph, all right then. It's a secret."

Denzel nodded his head and then patted Vincent's leg. Jet black hair shifted as the older male faced him. Denzel made the hand gesture of a phone, and Vincent reached into his pocket, taking it out and handing it the boy. The boy nodded and took the phone; he sat with his back against the other complex module. He opened Vincent's phone and regarded the time before dialing the number to Seventh Heaven.

It was nine forty-five that morning, and the sun was warming the sky.


	3. MidMorning Venture

**Mid-morning Venture**

Cloud exited his room and rolled his shoulder. He had his goggles around his neck, and his arm cover was secured in place. His right hand pressed down on his left shoulder as he flexed the corresponding arm before moving it in a circle. He walked down the stairs to the actual bar of Seventh Heaven. Tifa was behind the counter of the bar. She looked up as the blond came down the stairs.

"Thirsty?" she asked, wiping down the counter.

Cloud looked over to her, relaxing his left shoulder. "Hmn?" He walked over to the counter.

Tifa turned around and grabbed a glass before moving sideways to one of the taps. Cloud rested his arms on the smooth surface, arms overlapping each other. His right index finger tapped the counter slowly and idly. He looked off to his left, just staring at the wall. Tifa set down a glass in front of him; that made him look back.

"Nothing with the good stuff for you – you still have to drive." She gave him a smirk and then turned away again, going to polish some glasses. "You're not in a hurry, are you?"

Cloud paused, coiling his fingers around the handle of the mug. He stared straight ahead for a moment.

"Not really," he said, finally before raising the glass to his lips and drinking from it.

Tifa watched him quietly; it was another slow moment before Cloud lowered the glass, hovering it over the counter but not quite setting it there, and looked up to her.

"…Is something wrong?" he asked.

"Hmn? Oh nothing. Nothing at all; I was just caught up in thinking for a moment." Tifa waved her hand dismissively in front of her face. "That's all. Hey." She pointed at his glass. Do you want me to put that in a canteen for you? It'll give you something while you drive."

"Yeah, that'd be good." Cloud slid the mug closer towards her.

She took it and turned around to do her task. As she did, Cloud stood up and drifted towards the door absentmindedly. He stared out the window as he made his way towards that general direction.

"Hey. Catch."

Those two words made him turn around, and Tifa tossed the canteen in his direction. He raised his left hand and caught it, gripping it tightly once it made contact with his hand.

"Thanks," he muttered and turned, walking towards the door with more purpose.

"Cloud!" Tifa called after him, leaning over the counter.

Cloud had pushed the door open with one hand and had stopped mid-step. He turned towards Tifa, still holding the door open. The brunette looked down and then away from him before looking back to him. She bowed her head slightly as she said to him,

"Just…be careful out there."

Cloud stared at her for a moment before nodding his head back. "I will."

With that, he walked out the door, letting it swing closed behind him. Tifa sighed and stood on her feet properly; she rested her elbows on the counter and laced her fingers together, resting her chin atop them.

_Maybe, I'm just working too much,_ she thought to herself in the stillness of the bar. After a pause, she shook her head. "Nah," she said aloud, grabbing the cloth to wipe the counter again. "With Cloud, there's no such thing." She smirked to herself a little bit.

_Then again, maybe I've been worrying too much about him…_ She tilted her head to the side and slowly stopped polishing the wooden surface. _…is it possible that all of this has taken its toll on me as well?_

She bit her lip thoughtfully and then sighed heavily.

_Think, Tifa. Think. When was the last time you've gone anywhere—just looked around the town, gone to see friends? More often than not, aren't you always holed up in this tavern waiting for Cloud's return, and if not that, his call?_ She threw down the towel and then crossed her arms under her chest defiantly.

"He has my number! I'm always within reach! Why should I sit here and age waiting for something that may or may not happen like some old biddy? I can't let life…" At this point, she walked from behind the counter towards the stairs, "…just pass me by! Marlene!"

"Yeah?" A small girl peeked her head from the right side towards the open area in front of the stairs.

"Come on, we're going out!"

"Yeah!" Marlene ran down the stairs and jumped the last one in spite of her wearing a dress. "Where are we going?" she asked as she and Tifa walked towards the front door.

"I don't know," Tifa began honestly, "but we better make it count."

Marlene nodded. "Yeah!"

She ran out the door as Tifa held it open for her; afterward, she followed the spritely young girl to the outside. Of course, not without taking one final glance over her shoulder. Her eyes trailed downward to the ground, but then she gathered her resolve, stood straighter and turned her back to the tavern, closing the door behind her. Marlene was half-skipping away from her, too excited to start her day with Tifa to really care that she was almost leaving her partner behind. Tifa laughed and caught up with her. She clasped her hand on the younger girl's shoulder, making her jump a bit. The older woman smiled before nodding for them to go ahead. Marlene took the advantage and began running forward. Tifa blinked and shook her head before running to catch the child once more.

"Tifa! Tifa! Come on! They're selling puppies!"

"Now, Marlene, you know we can't have any."

Marlene slowed down her run and whipped around, looking up at Tifa. "Why not?" she asked, her wide-eyed innocence ablaze.

Tifa laughed. "There would be no room; besides, right now's not the time for a puppy."

Marlene looked away, thinking hard. Tifa smiled softly, nothing that Marlene's concentration face involved her puffing her cheeks a bit and pouting her lips. It was adorable, but then again, Marlene was just that way by nature. After a thoughtful few moments, Marlene looked back up to Tifa.

"Why not get Vincent a puppy? He's lonely right?"

At this, Tifa couldn't help but laugh. "That's sweet, but I _doubt_ he'd have time for a puppy."

"Why wouldn't he?"

"Well, because he—"

Tifa stopped short. She didn't know what Vincent did when the world wasn't in crisis. She thought Reeve would know, but somehow, she doubted even that. She looked up a bit, past and over Marlene's head.

"Hey, I think one of the pups is trying to walk."

Marlene gasped. "I wanna see!"

With that, she whipped around and ran to the puppies in question. Tifa smiled and watched as she slowly approached.

_Marlene… I wonder how it is that she can just laugh her days away. I know that part of it is because she's a child, but even after enduring what she's endured, she keeps pressing on._ Tifa crouched down next to the girl and fanned out her fingers as a pup walked between her legs to bite them. _Why is it that we lose this strength as we get older? Some of us do. Most of us do. When did we learn to worry about the world and every single person inhabiting it? Even if we are not the ones in charge to save it…_ She sat down. The pup jumped back slightly before running and trying to climb onto her stomach. _…why must we put the whole weight of the world on our shoulders as though Fate truly depended on it?_

The pup that Tifa was playing with was a soft, dusty dirt brown color. It had shining ice blue eyes and black tufts of hair coming from its forehead that curved over and backwards. It had black stripes on its cheeks and even the tip of its tail faded to black. It reminded her of Red XXIII, but she was sure, just from the coat color alone, that it was not the same breed. She grabbed the pup gently underneath its forepaws and lifted it up into the air. She raised it to her face as she tipped her head back, and it tried vainly to lip her face, lapping the air in front of it. Tifa smiled and brought the pup closer. That's when it lavished her face with affection. She couldn't help but turn her head slightly and laugh as it did. Marlene looked over and smiled. She was playing with a puppy and had it pinned to the ground by scratching its stomach. When she heard Tifa laughing, she could only look over and see what was happening. The sight she saw was heartwarming.

"Are you sure you don't want to take one, ma'am?" asked an older but elegant-looking woman to Tifa.

Tifa laughed and shook her head. "I don't know anymore! I just might take one or take them all!"

"Take them all? Oh my!" she laughed at Tifa's good-natured but honest remark.

Marlene looked up to the older woman who was one of three people trying to give away the pups. This woman had a beautiful light brown skin tone that only seemed slightly darker from the shade. She had very distinct marks on her face; some of which she could decipher as laugh lines. As Marlene looked closer though, she saw that this woman also had scars creeping from under the high neck of her shirt towards her chin, and since Marlene was more to her left, she could see that this woman had pulled some hair behind her ear, revealing fine white marks going from her jaw to the middle of her cheek. Other than that, the woman seemed to have taken age with a whole new sense of grace. She had the mannerisms of a properly raised woman and spoke with the gentleness of some holy figure who lulls thousands with carefully picked and softly spoken words.

"Hey."

Marlene faced forward suddenly and noticed the boy in front of her. Now he was scratched and scarred in a whole different way. It seemed to her that this boy was the kind to jump the fences from Edge to Midgar and back again and all the while laughing while he did it. This boy had a white bandage over a pink scar on his left cheek that was spiking towards the corner of his eye. He had another over the bridge of his nose and one more a few inches below his shoulder on his right arm. Other than that, he was the same shade as the older woman and, now that she thought about it, was two or three shades lighter than the man between them who had seemingly gone to sleep on them. The expression on his face, should she say he had one, was slightly irritated, and his eyes seemed to be sharply trained on her.

"Are the scars distracting you?" he asked bluntly.

She stared at him for a moment and then shook her head, smiling. "I was admiring her – she's a really pretty woman. If anything, I was looking at the lines on her face."

The boy blinked. "You…you mean the scars?"

Marlene laughed. "No! I mean the lines here," she raised her free hand and touched a corner of her mouth, "and here." She then touched beside her eye.

"O-oh. OH! Her laugh lines…" he said, still not quite believing her.

"She's pretty, don't you get it! She looks like someone who can just tell you anything, and it'll be okay." She gave him a smile and looked down at the puppy.

The boy—well, teenager—watched her for a moment to see if her expression would chance. It didn't, and it didn't change even as they got to leave almost ten minutes later. By the time Tifa and Marlene were ready to leave, the sleeping man had woken up and spoken with them for a couple of minutes, trying to convince them to take a pup or two and also making jokes. Marlene liked him too; he had a strong, rumbling voice and such strong hearty laughter that she could enjoy many a story and a joke from him. Afterward, the two females waved and said good-bye to both the humans and the pups. The teenage boy had defiantly watched with his arms crossed for a long time, but as they were walking away:

"You better take care of yourself! So you can come see the puppies again I mean!"

At this, both Marlene and Tifa turned back slightly. Tifa looked down at Marlene, watching to see what she would do.

"You bet! I'll come see you too then we'll play! Okay!"

The teenager huffed. "I'm a big boy! I don't play!"

"It never hurts to put on an innocent smile!"

She smiled and turned away, walking forward. Tifa, holding her hand, was pulled along, but she managed to swing her free hand before her and hold it up as she bowed slightly to the family behind her. The teenager they left behind looked down and searched the floor before looking up again. He nodded and smirked softly. Somewhere, in his mind, he had made a resolve to find out if her words were true, but somehow, in his mind, he already knew.

"That was a nice thing you did back there," Tifa said, swinging Marlene's hand in hers.

Marlene looked up from her treat and tilted her head.

"What do you mean?"  
"What you said. To that boy back there."

"Oh. Him? He's just a troublemaker it looks like. There's got to be more fun that going around wrecking things…" she looked up to Tifa, "right?"

Tifa smiled and nodded once. "Right."

They continued to walk, hand in hand all the way back to Seventh Heaven. Marlene desired a nap, and Tifa figured it was time to call Cid and get ready to open shop.

_It's true what they must say then, right? Only kids and drunks speak the truth._ Tifa smiled more inwardly and laughed at her own thought. She brought a hand up to her mouth as she laughed softly.

Marlene looked up at her as she walked before looking forward again and eating more of her dessert.

_Today is just a simple day. It's not a sad day. Nope. Today, I finally got to see Tifa smile again, and there's nothing wrong with that…_

Tifa once again opened the door for Marlene, who gave her hand a firm squeeze before letting go. She ran into the tavern and up the stairs. Tifa watched, confused before smiling and shaking her head slightly.

_There's nothing wrong with having one innocent smile._

The tavern door swung closed behind her, and peace rolled over the bar for a little while. The time was eleven fifty-eight, and it was a warm day.


	4. A Sickness, A Cure

Denzel pulled the phone away from his ear. He blinked. "She's not answering," he said to himself as he hung up the phone. He tried her mobile, but it went straight to the voicemail. He pulled the phone away again and went to the main screen. It was a little bit before ten. He shook his head, not knowing what to think about this. He handed Vincent the phone, and the older male took it. His gauntlet covered hand grasped the phone and held it, not moving to put it away again.

"What happened?"

"I'm not sure," Denzel sagged forward, feeling defeated. "Oh! I know! I'll text Cloud! Maybe he's still awake."

Vincent lifted his hand a bit, starting to hand it back to Denzel.

"Oh wait. He didn't look too alert this morning. He might have gone back to sleep…or just isn't in the mood to talk."

Vincent watched Denzel and saw his dejected state. He placed the phone in his pocket and then looked away, his hands resting on his leg. There was quiet between them for a while. Reeve had his back turned to them, and he was working on the complex module. His muttering voice was the only sound aside from the sound of travel. His voice would raise on occasion as he spoke directly into the communication receiver. Vincent raised his head and then stood, walking over to Reeve. He walked over the other male's right, leaning down. Reeve looked up in surprise but listened to what the cloaked one was telling him. When Vincent stood, Reeve nodded and then he spoke lowly into the microphone. Vincent walked back over to stand in front of the bench where he was sitting before. Denzel watched him with deep intrigue.

"Vincent, what are you—"

The cloaked male raised his left hand, holding up a finger. He moved it side to side slowly. Denzel looked at the finger before looking up to Vincent's face. Vincent dropped his hand and turned to go to the doors. He leaned against the right side of the transport vehicle. Denzel looked to Reeve who kept his back to the young one purposefully. He moved his hands here and there, even though there was nothing more for him to do. For about ten minutes, Denzel sat in confused and anxious quiet. He swung his feet on the bench, looking from Vincent to Reeve's back. He nibbled his lip a little bit and reached down for his water bottle. Maybe getting something to drink would clear his mind. By the time he had lifted up and uncapped the bottle, Vincent was walking over to him. Denzel, with his head tipped back, darted his eyes over to the older male. The cloaked form stopped a little bit to the boy's left. Vincent looked over his shoulder toward the metal double door.

"Get your bag."

"W-what?" Denzel brought the bottle down and nearly spilled water on himself.

Suddenly filled with urgency, he put the lid back on the bottle, threw it in the bag and pulled on the strings. As soon as it was closed, Vincent grabbed him by his hand, pulling him up to his feet. Reeve stood up as well and walked to the doors, pushing them open. Denzel could see that they were driving over grassy plains. Denzel stared wide-eyed to the outside. Reeve looked to Vincent and nodded.

"Hang on tight," Vincent said to Denzel.

Without really thinking, Denzel gripped tightly onto the duffle bag, holding onto Vincent's waist. Vincent let go of the boy's hand and reached down with his right hand. He grabbed the edge of the cloak and drew it upward, around his front. He ducked his head down and jumped forward. Suddenly, he and Denzel were lost in a flood of red. The cloak took on a different form, losing any sign that there were two people within it. The cloak jumped out of the transport vehicle. Reeve watched as the cloak traveled across the plains in the distance that they had come from. Reeve sighed and closed the doors.

"Sometimes… I feel as though I'm uselessly wandering. Don't you?"

Vincent looked down at the young boy who had said this to him. It may not have shown in his eyes, but he was surprised, to say the least, that something this morbid would come out of this boy's mouth. Denzel was crouched down with his duffle bag resting on the ground to his right and his canteen between his legs, listlessly resting against his left hand. His eyes were almost closed as he stared out into the distance towards the rock formations that edged the horizon before him.

"Even if we find this key, will it calm this sense of wonder? Will there ever be an end to my wandering?" He stood up and looked up to Vincent. "Who knows?" He said as he shrugged gently as though the two of them were holding a conversation.

"Those are some deep words."

"I've been thinking a lot about these things. I know that it's not my usual self, but… I don't know. It's something about this that makes me feel like I'm getting older." He paused and nodded to himself very minutely. "I am getting older; how old are you?" He went through the words very quickly, almost breathlessly as he looked up to Vincent again.

"Old enough to know that what you're saying has quite a bit of weight."

Vincent began walking forward towards the natural rock lined horizon. Denzel stared at him and then frowned a bit, standing and gathering his things. "That's not an answer," he muttered while walking after the older male. They walked in silence for a long time until they were surrounded by trees. Denzel looked around and asked occasionally where they were going. After another hour or so, they turned and walked down a path where the forest stared to bare. The ground underneath their feet began to gray and turn to a slightly more rocky terrain. They ascended an incline that turned into a hill, which had a line of bare trees on either side. Denzel instinctively reached forward and grabbed Vincent's cape.

"Where are we?" Denzel whispered as they came closer and closer to the top of the hill.

"Hopefully…the answer to your question."

Denzel looked up only to see the red of the cape and the black of Vincent's hair. "My…question…?"

They came to the top of the hill, and Vincent turned slightly looking down to the young boy. His red eyes seemed to shine with thought. Denzel looked up into those eyes and felt as though he were swept up in wonder.

"'Will there ever be an end to my wondering?'"

It was at that moment that there was the sound of something opening. Denzel slowly pulled his gaze away from Vincent's to look past the older male. There was a door opening just behind him. He looked up to the raven-haired male for a second to make sure it was safe. When he received a minute nod, he looked back to the door. Slowly, he began walking towards it. There was no wariness in him, only an otherworldly feeling of purpose.

Vincent slowly turned his head as Denzel walked past him; he watched as the young boy walked carefully but firmly towards the door. He turned his body, cape flowing behind him. He followed after the boy, walking a few paces behind him.

_Let that sharp mind of yours guide us towards a permanent solution for our eternal wandering._

At the time Vincent thought that, it was twelve-fifteen, and the sun was high in the sky.


End file.
